More questions than answers in this article. They never mention breastmilk as the first substance of intake to go down and line the gut wall. Judy Ritchie Type of Intestinal Bacteria May Affect Humoral Immunity in Infants WESTPORT, CT (Reuters Health) Nov 27 - The maturation of humoral immunity in infants may depend on what types of bacteria colonize in their intestines as well as on the timing of this colonization, according to study findings that appear in the Archives of Diseases in Childhood, Fetal and Neonatal Edition. The results may help explain why the rates of allergic diseases have been rising at similar rates as sterile cesarean section deliveries, the researchers suggest. Dr. Minna-Maija Gronlund, of the Turku University Central Hospital in Finland, and colleagues based their findings on 64 healthy full-term infants. At ages 3 to 5 days and at 1, 2 and 6 months, the researchers measured fecal colonization with Bifidobacterium-like and Lactobacillus-like bacteria as well as colonization with the Bacteroides fragilis group. Blood samples were also collected at birth and at ages 2 and 6 months for analysis of immunoglobulin-secreting cells. In addition, to examine the relationship between diet and immunity, the newborns' mothers kept diaries of what the infants consumed during their first 2 months. Intestinal colonization with B. fragilis was a greater predictor of elevated levels of IgA-secreting and IgM-secreting cells than was intestinal colonization with other bacteria or diet, Dr. Gronlund and colleagues report. The highest number of IgA-secreting cells at 2 months and IgM-secreting cells at 6 months occurred in infants who had B. fragilis colonization at 1 to 2 months. "To our knowledge, this is the first report of an association between Bacteroides sp and maturation of humoral immunity in humans, and it provides a fresh view of the role of these predominant bacteria of the human gut," the authors write. "Our observations add an interesting facet to the discussion on the possible protective role of microbial contacts in the prevention of allergic diseases," the authors write. They note that infants born via cesarean delivery were more likely to experience a delay in intestinal colonization with B. fragilis. According to Dr. Gronlund's team, "It may therefore be no coincidence that the incidence of allergic diseases is increasing in parallel with the rate of sterile cesarean sections." Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed 2000;83:F186-F192. *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html